the haus in real time

This will be the first post showing "that haus" in it's current state.

For a while it was covered in Tyvek paper but now the exterior materials are almost all installed. The steel's rusty patina changes with each rain and each time, the house seems like look slightly different. The light doesn't reflect off the steel as hard as it used to, and the darkening color bring out stronger angles more than before. It's changing.

We've had the "metal guy" here for a few weeks now and I've been enamored by the craftsmanship each piece requires. Each panel is custom cut and installed one at a time and the seams are carefully thought through. Slowly but surely, they've mounted each piece with metal outlining angles. 

1st floor framing complete

The first floor and lower studio unit's framing went up shortly after the retaining walls.  For those of you who don't know, California style framing goes up fast- suspiciously fast.  You can start to see the full layout after just a couple of days.  This is the space we would be living in while the main 2nd floor unit it being worked on so we wanted it to be something between a home and an office.  At some point during this phase we ran out of resources (if you know what I mean) and realized that this lower unit was going to be our long term living area as we slowed down on the rest of the 2nd floor construction.

front view

back view

outside 

another perspective

Like I've mentioned, we were living upstairs and trying to maintain a semi normal lifestyle.   We were chipping away at the house until nothing was left but our bedroom and a toilet.  Our bathroom experience was more like a camping trip that never ended.  The little things add up.  Renting a porta-potty is a small but nevertheless an extra expense.  Our plumber made one for the crew in the spirit of MacGyver. 

the block wall continues

A block wall must be stacked on top of rebar in phases per the Los Angeles Building Department code.  You stack the blocks and then pour the wet stuff down through the top.  The great thing about a block wall is that it's your foundation, your physical wall, and can even be your final finished surface.  We like the industrial look, so we'll probably end up leaving the wall as is without drywall or paint.

1000 square foot slab

The lower floor of the haus is 1000 square feet which calls for about 19 yards of concrete.  Pouring concrete at this scale requires a serious group of professionals.  You need 2 gigantic mixing trucks, a concrete mixing crew, a concrete pumper crew, a messenger running back and forth to the truck, and about 6 to 8 concrete specialists that work the material into its smooth final finish.  You don't get second chances with concrete.  It's messy, unforgiving, and dries fast so you need to do it right the first time.   We also mixed in 20 percent fly ash because LEED says it's the right thing to do.  Fly ash adds strength and workability but can sometimes cost more and takes a longer time to cure.  LEED certification is the latest sustainability certification program but it costs a lot more money and time.  I decided to use tips and hints from LEED but not actually go through with the certification process.   At some point while I was in Munich, I was actually bored enough to read the entire 400 page LEED study guide.